October 30th

“Return, O my soul, to your
      rest,
for the LORD has dealt
      bountifully with you. Psalm 116:7”

noticing the empty
space next to you,
you put your feet
into the cold slippers,
and wrap yourself
in the frayed shawl;
finding me before
the mullioned
window, staring
out into life's
abyss,
you take me
by the hand, and
lead me back
to bed, cuddling
with me until I
fall asleep in your
embrace.

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 29th

“’Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?’” Matthew 13:10

so many riddles,
so many stories,
so many sideway glances
to see if we are getting the point,
we are worn out, Jesus.
perhaps we are like
that soil so hard baked
by all the spin doctors around us,
we wouldn’t know a straight answer
if it fell into our laps.
so maybe,
we just need to stroll around
in these stories, mulling them
over in our minds, sorting
through them like clues in a mystery,
until the soil softens from
the tears we begin to shed,
as we discover, like everything else,
the sideway glances,
the stories, the riddles
are simply grace in disguise.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 28th

“’Let anyone with ears listen!’” Matthew 13:9

imagine—
that it is not the hearing
but that pause between
the word leaving the lips
and when it begins
to tickle our ears.
imagine—
between the first note
of the bird in the morning
and it sinking into
the weariness of our hearts
that a word waits—
a seed tinier than that
mustard seed in Jesus’ hand,
holiness wrapped in hope.
imagine—
all we need
is to cup our hands
like furrows in the dirt
and as silence falls
like gentle spring rain,
grace grows even
if we forget to listen.

(c) 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 27th

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
   from him comes my salvation.” Psalm 62:1

if i can find the button,
i will power down
my computer and
step away.
if i can figure out
how, i will turn off
my device, or better yet,
leave it behind.
i will take the batteries
out of the remote,
almost ensuring that
i am unable to turn on
the pixels which bewitch me.
and
in the silence,
which at first comforts
me until it begins
to frighten me,
i will wait

for that grace
which is so
counterintuitive
to my tech lifestyle.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 26th

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25

there he stood,
pockets full of briefs,
words as sharp as his stylus,
ready to pierce any cross examination.
but Jesus doesn’t fall
for his closing argument,
Jesus doesn’t pull out
scrolls from his back pocket
or call down lightning,
he simply looks at him,
like snow looking for children
wanting to make angels.
for love doesn’t come with a recipe,
mercy with quick set-up pictures,
and so, with grace twinkling in his eye,
Jesus softly asks,
‘why don’t you read
between the lines?’
and just then, between
dust on his feet
and the debate clenched
tight in his mind,
a heart suddenly remembers
how to beat for another.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 25th

“I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter;” Matthew 12:36

if only
those hurtful words
spoken with spite toward
the ones we loved
were inattentive.
if only
those angry words
we gathered up like rocks

and put in the slings
of our tongues to hurl
at those we despised
were impetuous.
if only
those judgmental words
we handed down from
the high court of
self-righteous indignation
were irresponsible.
so
when the day of days
finally comes and we
become tongue-tied,
may it be your word of
grace
which makes all the difference.

© 2025 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman

October 24th

"Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14

of course
i can donate
some canned goods
to a food bank
in
making space for
more in my pantry;

i can encourage
others to house
refugee families
in
dealing with
my fears of
them moving into
my neighborhood;

i can hope
the free clinic
manages to keep
its doors open
in
guilt for the
health care benefits
i enjoy because
i am so well off;

but do all these things
(and more)
in
love?

© Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman